Maria-Pia, the Pretender (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781515307259)

Jean Pailler fell in love with Portugal during the Revolution, of which he wrote a first-hand account. His enthusiasm for Eça de Queiroz made him study the last years of the Portuguese monarchy. His biographical essay about Dom Carlos I has been acclaimed in Portugal when it was translated by Julio Conrado. It was but natural that he took interest in the strange adventures of Maria Pia, who posed as the King's adulterous daughter. A fiction writer as well as an history buff, Pailler has been fascinated by the characters of Maria Pia and her Brazilian mother, that he used as material for two novels. Born French in Morocco, partly educated in England, Jean Pailler has chosen to write this book in English. He has been an officer in the French Army, and since he retired he has devoted himself entirely to writing. He has translated into French texts from Portuguese authors as Eça de Queiroz, José Jorge Letria and Julio Conrado, and the English playwright Tim Fountain.